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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · last · land · arm · branch · stock · court · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. court — for sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. last — finally
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. land — a country
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — goods
  17. roll — a list
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. branch — a division
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. foot — a measure
  23. land — to come down
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com